News

NewJeeptoPioneerIrisScanningDriverAuthentication

on 25 March 2015

The 2015 Jeep Wrangler will be the first commercially-available automobile to incorporate the EyeLock ID iris scanning authentication system. The integration is the product of a partnership with VOXX Electronics Corporation, which teamed with EyeLock last year to develop myris, a USB iris scanning device that recently won accolades at the 2015 CES Innovation Awards.

The vehicle integration was first demonstrated at the 2015 North America International Auto Show, where it was embedded directly into a 3D-printed car developed by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At the time the exercise was intended to publicize the possibilities of the technology, but those possibilities are now being realized in the new Jeep Wrangler, which will use the technology to authenticate drivers before allowing vehicle ignition. The driver needs only to stare into the visor-mounted mirror, and the authentication process is done in less than five seconds.

Speaking in a press release, EyeLock Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Anthony Antolino emphasized the versatility of the company’s technology, enthusing that the use “of EyeLock’s iris authentication solutions across automotive applications enables a contextual and immersive experience for the driver, while unlocking new ways for automakers, content providers and insurers to engage consumers.” Indeed, together with emerging driver interface systems such as the Dragon Drive platform, EyeLock appears to be ushering in the age of the smart car.